Sunday, December 9, 2012

More on Infertility Choices

I started writing this post because I couldn’t find any resources that
really spoke to me as I was experiencing each of these stages of
infertility. What I was looking for was someone to walk me through the
choices that were offered, and how they decided what their next step
would be. Unfortunately, I never found this. Maybe it was a futile
quest.

Following our initial baseline testing including; a sample from Andy,
blood work from me, a sonohysterogram, and another ultrasound, we were
left with little answers. Although my reproductive anatomy seems to
skew left, no one has indicated that this issue should be cause for any
major alarm. Because fibroids were detected in my earlier MRI, we went
forward with a sonohysterogram that did not show any blockages due to
fibroids. Ultimately, there is suspicion of endometriosis but we walked
away with a diagnosis of “unknown infertile!”

By “walked away,” I mean we literally told the doctor that we would like
more time despite feeling pressure to make a decision that day. The
options we were given included:

Clomid and IUI:
Thanks to the blood work and semen analysis, we know that I am ovulating
and that Andy has healthy little swimmers. So, to me, this seems like
we would be attempting to solve a problem that we don’t have. My
logical mind tells me that this strategy could potentially lead to more
problems (hello, multiples!).

Hysterosalpingogram:
This procedure seemed to me, to not be the “right” solution for us
because it would be expensive and limiting. Although it could give us
an idea of issues undetected before now, we could easily end up lighter
in the pocket and with no further answers! Ultimately, our doctor
indicated that we could get many of the same answers that we would from
this procedure from option #3 and more! (Who doesn’t love a good BOGO
sale?)

Laparoscopic Surgery for Endometriosis
For us, this seems to be the most appropriate next step. My fear is
undergoing an unnecessary surgery should I not actually have
endometriosis. And, frankly, more extreme poking and prodding doesn’t
sound appealing right now.
So, we decided to take our time. We are taking a few months to explore
some “holistic” methods such as chiropractic and acupuncture. And, in
three months, we will revisit our options!